Photos by Madeleine Diesl '28, Max Paster '25, and Emma Quirk '26
By Tara Monastesse ’25
Editor-in-Chief
At approximately 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9, a large white goose was discovered lying motionless on the ground outside the Dining Commons entrance at Mount Holyoke College. Amid pouring rain, a small group of students gathered around the animal’s unmoving body. While the sight of a dead bird might elicit pity at any institution, at the College the scene was tragic: the dead goose appeared to be Jorge, the lone pilgrim goose living on campus and the College’s beloved unofficial mascot.
At about 4:42 p.m., a College employee arrived on the scene to remove Jorge. Jorge’s body was wrapped in a blue plastic bag and placed into a cardboard box before being carried away. Word had traveled quickly among students that Jorge had been injured, and a small group of onlookers had amassed as Jorge’s body was removed.
It appears that Jorge crashed into the large windows near the Dining Commons entrance mid-flight, causing a fatal injury. A Mount Holyoke News staff member familiar with the situation said that Jorge struck the window while flying with a group of other geese near the building. Jorge appears to be the only goose harmed in the incident.
“We were in Wilder [Hall], so we ran down the stairs right here,” Josephine Singleton ’26, who had quickly arrived on the scene after being informed via text by a friend about Jorge’s apparent death, said. “[Jorge] was just lying in front of the window, and you can kind of see a little spot in one of the top windows there where he hit it.”
“It was really sad,” Tess Martin ’26 said.
Jorge, the College’s beloved goose resident, has been a staple of the Mount Holyoke community for years. Featured on stickers, pins and other such decorations, Jorge is the unofficial mascot of Library, Information, and Technology Services at Mount Holyoke. Often seen grazing around campus and swimming in the College’s Lower Lake, the goose was known for his brash honk and photogenic feathers.
According to The Livestock Conservatory, pilgrim geese are a threatened species. What Jorge’s loss will mean for the College community is yet to be seen, but the goose’s unfortunate demise is a definite blow to the species’ continued survival.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information is available.
UPDATE 7:38 p.m.: In an email to the Mount Holyoke College community, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Carl M. Ries confirmed that Jorge the goose had died after colliding with a window at the Blanchard Community Center. “Jorge was a cherished campus icon, symbolizing the remarkable natural ecosystem of our campus,” Ries wrote. “We will share additional information as available and useful to the community. In the meantime, I encourage everyone on campus to take a moment to reflect on the beauty and wildlife that make our environment so special.”
Abigail McKeon ’26 contributed fact-checking.